Sarawak allows walk-in COVID-19 vaccinations for rural residents

Rural dwellers will be vaccinated even if they visit Covid-19 vaccination centres without prior registration, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Openg said today.

He said their particulars would be taken at the centres and entered into the main database to record that they have been vaccinated.

“This is some adjustment we have made because not all the rural dwellers are able to register for the vaccination for many reasons,” he told reporters after visiting the vaccination centre at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here.

“This is something that we will do beyond the normal procedures,” he added.

He said the state government did not want to see the rural dwellers go to the vaccination centres to register, only to have to return again for a later appointment.

“This will expedite the vaccination process especially for those in the rural areas,” he said, adding that he has directed all Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS)  assemblymen and members of parliament to bring unregistered rural residents to the centres.

“In this way, we can reach our target to vaccinate all eligible Sarawakians by August,” the chief minister said.

He said the state’s target is to get one million doses of both Pfizer-BioNtech and Sinovac in June and another one million in July.

He also advised Sarawakians to exercise self-discipline, even if they have been vaccinated.

“We are going all out to get all eligible Sarawakians to be vaccinated and the state government is ready to pay for the logistics, if the cost is too high, to get Sarawakians to be vaccinated, including those in the rural areas,” he said. — Malay Mail

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